


Who the hell is Harry Potter?

by kaleigh



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adopted Harry Potter, Gen, Harry Potter Has a Different Name, Harry Potter was Raised by Other(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleigh/pseuds/kaleigh
Summary: What did they think would happen if a fifteen-month-old was left outside in England?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 193





	Who the hell is Harry Potter?

**November 1st 1991**

When Albus Dumbledore left the sleeping fifteen-month-old Harry Potter on his aunt's doorsteps, he had assumed the child would sleep through the night and be found the next morning by his mother's family who would begrudgingly take him in and grow to love him. However, he failed to realise that a toddler that old could walk and so shortly thereafter Harry woke up, clambered out of the basket and dragging his blanket behind him toddled off in search of his parents.  
By the time the milkman arrived the next morning, Harry was gone and sleeping in his basket was a small cat. Knowing how particular the people in that neighbourhood were, he simply chased the animal away and deposited the basket in the trash after swapping the milk bottles before carrying on with his day.  
Harry meanwhile made it as far as number six Privet Drive before falling asleep on their front lawn, where he would be found by the occupants the next morning.

_____________

When Victoria Winterman exited the front door of her rental unit in Surrey for what she hoped was the last time, she didn't expect to find a small child sleeping on her lawn. In fact, she expected her cabbie to be waiting patiently to take her into the office for one last meeting before she headed off to the airport to return to beautiful Australia where it would at least be warm this time of year. Instead, she found a sleeping child and after ensuring he was alive, she and the cabbie headed off to the hospital where she would spend several hours being interviewed by doctors, police officers and later social workers before she was free to go. It went without being said that she missed her meeting and her flight but thankfully her job was super understanding and kindly put her up in a hotel near the hospital to see this through as they felt guilty for renting her a house that apparently came with unknown children sleeping on the lawn.  
Four days later, Victoria was on a plane headed to Australia with a crazy work-trip story that was guaranteed to get her free drinks for a month and the boy found on her lawn was put into foster care where he was quickly adopted by a nice couple who after a few years getting used to having a new addition moved away from Britain when he was five and hadn't returned since.

_____________

**July 26th 2001**

Minerva McGonagall ran from her office to the gargoyle statute protecting the Headmaster's office, said the password and hurried up the spiral staircase before banging on Albus Dumbledore's door, startling him quite thoroughly.  
"Albus, we have a problem," Minerva stated while wheezing before sitting on the chair Albus hurriedly pulled out for her.  
"Harry Potter has not responded to his letter. Furthermore, when I checked to re-issue him one, he wasn't on the list."  
"What?! How could he not be on the list?" Albus bellowed, scaring both Minerva and pet phoenix that were in his office.  
"That simply can't be. James and Lily put him down since he was born. Unless..." Here Albus looked contemplative before stroking his long beard.  
"Unless what? Now is not the time to be mysterious Albus Dumbledore or so help me I will transfigure you into a table." Minerva huffed out.  
"I had Arabella Figg watching the boy as you know plus I have enchantments that look out for his health. Some of them are actually quite marvellous really." Here Albus swept his hand over to a pile of silver, spinning trinkets some of which lit up or puffed out smoke in a table in the corner of the room. Privately, Minerva felt it was junk as Albus was a bit of a packrat.  
"Get on with it Albus, now!"  
"Sorry, as I was saying, these enchantments show that he's in good health and well cared for and loved. Additionally, Arabella stated that he never did any accidental magic as far as she could see. I thought it was because his aunt and uncle advised him to hide it but it could be that Harry Potter is a squib. Very likely, whatever happened that night when he defeated Voldemort, rendered him magicless."  
"Oh." For the first time since she was a little girl, Minerva McGonagall was rendered speechless.  
"I will, of course, have to share these details with the public as they are expecting him to start Hogwarts on September 1st and this will not be happening again."  
Albus looked contemplative before moving to his desk and pulling out a quill to begin writing out a missive.

_____________

**July 28th 2001**

Two days later the British Wizarding World awoke to The Daily Prophet headline that announced: **The Boy Who Lived To Be A Squib.**  
The Quibbler's headline discussed the multiverse theory, though buried way back on page eight, sat an article written by ten-year-old Luna Lovegood that discussed the possibility that Harry Potter was travelling the world and was currently a pupil of another magic school.

None of these things mattered to eleven-year-old Josh Matthew, born Harry Potter, because today was the day chosen as his eleventh birthday. He was going to spend the day with his Canadain cousins at a waterpark and he was positive that in addition to the chocolate cake his parents had gotten for him, that he was also going to receive the new Game Boy Advance and he couldn't think of anything that would top it.


End file.
